Richard Renshaw

Richard leads work on atmospheric reanalysis and on data assimilation for the land surface.

Current activities

Richard manages the earth system data assimilation team which is part of Data Assimilation and Ensembles. The team works on two aspects of data assimilation. One is for the land surface, where we use observations to analyse soil moisture and soil temperature. These act as important boundary conditions for atmospheric forecast models. The other aspect is reanalysis, where we apply current forecast models and systems to historical data. This lets us build a consistent and comprehensive picture of past weather.

The major part of Richard's work is now on a collaborative EU project EURO4M. The aim is to produce a high-quality regional analysis for studying and monitoring European climate.

Career background

Richard finished a maths degree at Oxford University in 1988 and started work at the Met Office. He worked for a year on the use of AVHRR satellite data in the analysis of sea surface temperature. The next ten years were spent developing the assimilation of data from satellite radiometers. The major achievement was the direct assimilation of radiances from the TOVS instrument. In 2000 he moved to Data Assimilation and Ensembles to work on assimilation for regional models, helping to introduce a 4D-Var scheme into the North Atlantic and European model.

Last updated: Apr 10, 2014 8:35 AM

About Richard Renshaw

Richard works on assimilation of observations into limited area models, with particular interest in cloud and precipitation.